


The Backyard tree

by iloveitblue



Series: Prompts [271]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Established, Fluff, High School AU, M/M, Tooth Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-24
Updated: 2015-08-30
Packaged: 2018-04-11 00:26:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4413809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iloveitblue/pseuds/iloveitblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where Clint has a tree he hides in when he's upset.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> “Good Afternoon, Mrs. Quentin. Is Clint home?” Phil greeted as soon as the door swung open.

“Phil, good, you’re here. Clint is up in his tree again.” She ushered him in the house and was practically dragging Phil to the backyard. “Did something happen in school today?”

“Not while he was with me, no.” Phil answered with a frown. The only time he wasn’t with Clint was during football practice. Clint was with Natasha and the others then. He seriously doubt that something upsetting happened then. Nobody messed with one of the Avengers without getting a parting gift from the rest. “I’ll go talk to him.”

“Okay. Make sure you have him down before supper. I’m making fried chicken. You’re staying over for dinner, by the way.” 

Phil laughed but agreed. 

The tree took up one fourth of the entire backyard and it was Clint’s favorite hiding spot. Although, using the term ‘hiding spot’ would be moot now since everyone knew that Clint stayed there almost as much as he did his room. 

Times like these, when Clint was upset about something, nobody could get him down. Phil even remembers that one afternoon where Mrs. Quentin had had to resort to calling the firemen just to get Clint down to no avail. Clint ended up kicking a poor fireman’s face. That was an entertaining afternoon to say the least.

“Clint, are you up there?” Phil called out once he was underneath the tree. Truthfully, he didn’t have to ask, he could see Clint’s dangling sneakers from where he was standing. 

“Go away. I don’t want to talk.” Clint’s voice sounded rough, and weak, like he’s been crying about something.

“Well, you’re kind of talking right now.” Phil pointed out.

“You’re a jerk.” Clint pointed out right back.

“I know but will you at least talk to this jerk? This jerk sort of promised Mrs. Quentin he’d have you down before supper.” 

Phil heard Clint snort and could practically see him rolling his eyes. “Good luck with that.” 

Phil sighed and went back inside to the kitchen. 

“Oh good, I was just about to call you boys-- Where’s Clint?” 

“He refuses to come down. He doesn’t even want to talk to me. Could I please have dinner with Clint outside?” 

Mrs. Quentin frowned. “I thought he doesn’t want to come down?”

Phil shrugged in lieu of a response. “I’ll figure something out. Even if I have to throw his dinner at him.” 

“Please don’t.”Mrs. Quentin moves to grab a few things from the cabinets and the pantry until she has a stack of picnic stuff piled high. “No one’s going to clean that up and we’re going to end up infested with raccoons... or bears.”

“There aren’t any bears here.” 

Mrs. Quentin shrugged, “You never know. Now hurry along. Bring everything back in after you’re done. It’s Sandra’s turn to wash tonight but if she’s finished before you boys come in, you’re washing your own dishes.”

“Yes ma’am.” Phil marched right back out with the picnic things and placed them on the grass. He started with the picnic blanket, laying it out on the ground and placing rocks at the corners and turning the little torch shaped lamp on. He was stabbing the little lamp into the ground when he heard the leaves rustle and Phil smiled to himself. 

He laid out the plates and the food next, followed by the capri suns. Phil sat quietly on the blanket with the food in front of him and then looked up. He met Clint’s eyes before the blond hid again. 

Phil started to plate the food, giving Clint’s plate an extra spoon of mashed potatoes before placing it in front of him. Phil started eating when he heard the rustle of leaves again followed by soft thud, indicating that Clint had come down from the tree. Not a second later, Clint was sitting down next to Phil and grabbing his plate. 

When Phil turned to look at Clint, the blond ducked his head, “I’m sorry.” he murmured. 

“It’s okay. I’m a jerk, remember?” Phil bumped shoulders with him.

Clint bumped him back. “No, you’re not.”

“Okay then, I’m not.” Phil answered with a smile before turning back to his food.

“Thanks.” Clint murmured again. He’s playing with his peas, and for some reason, he didn’t want to look up at Phil.

“For what?” Phil turned to him again.

“For not asking.” Clint smiled up at him, although it was just for a second.

Phil gave him a half shrug. “You’ll tell me when you’re ready, won’t you?”

Clint huffed, sometimes he hated how Phil knew him so well, this wasn’t one of those times. “Yeah, I guess I will.” 

Phil kissed Clint’s cheek and smiled. “Then that’s all I need to hear.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is an AU where Phil is still in SHIELD while Clint is not. Set before AoS S1.

Phil has done a lot of impossibly difficult tasks, and that included getting stabbed through the chest by a power hungry god from another realm so Phil knows what he’s talking about, but spending weeks on PT was just plain torture. It wasn’t as if he didn’t see the point of the sessions, he did, but sometimes it was just too much and he just wanted to get away. 

This was one of those times.

So he might have stolen a company car driven off to who knows where; it’s not like SHIELD doesn’t have a chip on him somewhere and it’s not like he’s going to go AWOL for long. Just for a night. Just enough to get a breath of fresh air. 

Phil parked the car when the terrain offered no more roads, and left the lights on as he got out. He was well into a small forest now, far from the hustle and the bustle of the city, and definitely far from SHIELD. Phil took in a deep breath and let out sigh. This was what he needed. Silence. 

Phil walked toward the large tree right in front of the car and looked up at it. It was like staring into his childhood. He used to climb a tree just like this back when Cli- way back when.

Phil tested his limbs with a few stretches here and there before he started climbing the tree. He didn’t pull anything and there weren’t any strange pains or dull aches, so that was a good sign. He was just starting to swing his feet and look up at the starry night (or what he could see from behind the leaves) when a pick up truck parked right next to Phil’s car. 

Phil pulled his feet up and tried to hide but really, where are you supposed to hide when you’re sitting on an exposed branch?

“Sir?” The ranger called out, shining a light from his flashlight at Phil. Phil covered his eyes with his hand and the ranger, bless his heart, turned the flashlight off. “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to get down from that tree.”

“Why?” Phil asked. It’s not like he was breaking any laws. He read the rules and regulations of the park before he went in. 

“Well,” The ranger seemed to be at a loss for words. “because it’s dangerous up there. And frankly, you’re a little too old to be climbing trees.” 

Phil shrugged. “There’s an age limit to climbing trees? Besides, I like it up here. It’s nice.” 

“Yeah, well, you’re not allowed to be up there. You might fall and break something and we’re going to have to be held responsible.” 

“Relax. I know my way around a tree. I had a friend once who loved climbing trees.” Phil waved at him.

“So long as you have a friend then.” The ranger rolled his eyes at Phil.

“A little sarcastic for a park ranger, aren’t you?” Phil smirked.

“What can I say? Midnight brings out the worst in me. Especially if I have to get out of bed because of men who climb trees because they have friends who know their way around trees” The ranger bit back with no real heat to it. 

Phil huffed a laugh then he sighed. “Had.”

“Excuse me?”

“You said ‘have friends’. I had a friend.”

“I’m so sorry. What happened?” The ranger leaned back against the hood of Phil’s car.

“What would you do if I said he fell out of a tree and broke his neck?”

The ranger stood upright again and walked closer to the tree. “Then I’m going to have to insist you get down from there, sir.” 

Phil laughed. He hasn’t laughed since he woke up. He missed it. “I’m kidding. He didn’t fall. Even if he did, that guy’s like a cat. Always lands on his feet. No, he- he just disappeared. One day I was eating dinner with him, the next day no one could find him. He left a note though. Says his brother came to get him. Didn’t even say goodbye.” 

They were both silent for a long while until Phil heaved a sigh. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to rant. I just-”

“No, it’s okay. I- I don’t mind.” The ranger said in a hurry. “This friend of yours, did- uh- did you find him? I mean, did you look for him?”

Phil laughed mockingly. “Look for him? Are you kidding me? I didn’t stop. I haven’t stopped. I’ve been through hell and back looking for him. He doesn’t want to be found. Anyway, it’s been years. I should really just move on. It’s not like he’s looking for me either.”

“You don’t know that!” The ranger suddenly yelled. “I’m- I mean, you can’t know for sure, right? For all you know, he might be out there, looking for you. He might be laying awake at night, wishing he hadn’t left. wishing he was with you.”

“Somehow, I highly doubt that. but okay, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. When I find him, I’ll tell him to thank you, uh- sorry, what was your name again?” Phil asked.

The ranger took a second before smiling up at Phil. “Francis. My name is Francis.”

“Well, Francis, My name is Phil.”

“Nice to meet you, Phil.” 

Phil smiled at him before patting the trunk of the tree. “So Francis, what do you say, you ditch your lame, comfy bed and hang out with me on this tree instead? We could play I spy.”

Francis laughed, but he nodded. “I have to warn you. I have great eye sight.”

“Yeah well, I’m great at I spy.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Here on tumblr](http://promptmephlint.tumblr.com/post/125169898611/i-have-not-done-even-one-of-my-many-homeworks-i)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not quite sure what happened...

Phil Coulson has a crush.

He found it embarrassing to admit at his age but its true. Somehow, Francis has managed to worm his way into Phil’s life. More and more Phil has found himself in that same park where he and Francis had first met.

It’s a little presumptuous to call these meetings dates but that’s what it felt like to Phil. For the first time in a really long time, Phil felt like a teenager again. They didn’t even really do anything when they meet each other. They just stared up at the stars, sometimes with food, and talked about their week. It never fails to be the highlight of Phil’s week.

He adored every single second of it.

“See that there?” Phil pointed at the constellation. “The one with the three stars in a line. Well, that’s Orion’s belt. The four stars surrounding it-”

“Orion.” Francis answered. “Yeah. That’s my favorite constellation. He’s an archer, you know, Orion.”

“Yeah” Phil tugged his lip upward to at least mimic a smile, “That’s what my friend always used to tell me. Doesn’t matter how many times I told him I already knew that.” The both of them fell quiet, and Phil sighed. “I’m sorry. I did it again. I didn’t- You just remind me so much of him.”

Francis gave him a small nod. “It’s okay. I know you miss him. He misses you too.”

Phil snorted at that. 

“I’m serious.” Francis bumped shoulders with him. “I mean if you’re like anything you are now than you were back then, then I’m pretty sure he misses you. You’re awesome, Phil. You know, for a suit.”

Phil rolled his eyes at Francis but grinned. “Gee, thanks.” He said sarcastically.

Francis’ chuckle died down soon after and he stared at his feet while Phil stared at the stars. “Hey, Phil.” He said, his voice so soft, Phil wondered if he actually heard him. “I’ve got- uh- I’ve got something to tell- to ask you.” 

Phil gave him his full attention. Francis seemed nervous for some reason. 

“What if- What if you found your friend?” 

“Then that’s it, I guess. The search is over. I can call off the dogs.”

Francis smiled. “Yeah, no. I meant- what would you do?”

“Hug him? Demand where he was hiding all these years.”

“And after?”

“What do you mean after?”

“After all of that. Are you- Do you want to forgive him?”

Phil thought about it. All his life he just wanted to find Clint again, get some answers. There’s really nothing past that. Not really. “There’s nothing to forgive.” Phil shrugged. “He’s made his choice. And it obviously isn’t me. I guess that one hurts, but it’s not his fault.” 

Francis held back a response to that and chose to ask another question. “So just like that, you’d become friends again? Like nothing ever happened?” Francis asked him.

“If it was that easy, the world would be easier to live with, wouldn’t it?” Phil chuckled. “No, I don’t think it’d be possible for us to go back to the way things were, not completely at least. We could still try but that’s going to be too much awkward than I’d care to handle.”

“It doesn’t have to be, not if you don’t let it.” Francis said.

“I guess you’re right.” Phil said, even if he didn’t fully agree. Some things were just irreparable. “Why the sudden curiosity, anyway? You’re turning my night off into a pity party.” Phil bumped shoulders with him and Francis snorted.

“I guess I was just wondering if you’d ever want Clint back in your life.”

“I mean it’s not like I haven’t thought about it. He was my best friend, you know? And to lose-” Phil paused.

Wait a minute.

“What did you say?” Phil asked Francis. 

Francis frowned. “What?”

“You said something. A name.” Phil swallowed the large lump forming in his throat, thoughts stirring in his head, pieces falling into place. “I never told you his name.” 

Francis’ eyes widened in realization and that was all the confirmation Phil needed. He stood up off of the ground to walk away, “Phil, wait. Please. Let me explain.” Francis- no, Clint said.

“You lied to me. All this time, you knew, and you didn’t think to tell me? How dare you?”

“Phil, please.” Clint begged, following Phil.

“You made a fool out of me, Clint. Why should I listen to anything you say?”

“Because I never stopped looking for you either.” Clint pulled his hand to get Phil to face him. “And that night, when I saw you, I didn’t even recognize you. You look so different now, you’re not the same nerdy boy from next door. You’ve obviously made a name for yourself. You’ve built your life and I wasn’t even sure if Clint was still welcome. But Francis, Francis was someone new. He had a chance to be with you even if it was only as friends. And then I found out that you haven’t changed one bit. You’re still the nerdy dorky kid I fell in love with. It made me think, maybe, just maybe, Clint still had a chance. I wanted so bad to tell you sooner but I didn’t want to lose you. Not again.”

Phil looked straight into his eyes and found nothing there but sincerity. He pulled his hand away and stood tall. “Well, congratulations. You did just that.” And with that, Phil left Clint standing there.

Phil Coulson has a crush. 

For the first time in a really long time, he felt like a teenager again. 

He hated it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #maybe I could do a fourth part where it actually ends happy#MAYBE
> 
> [Here on tumblr](http://promptmephlint.tumblr.com/post/127794736356/this-got-out-of-hand-i-dont-know-what)


	4. Chapter 4

Phil hasn’t seen Fran- Clint in a week. A small part of him tells him he misses Clint but a bigger part of him tells that smaller part to kindly shut up. It’s an undeniable truth though, no matter how much Phil tries to deny it, he managed to bond with Clint again, even after all those years of being away. Clint had made their friendship seem like it never disappeared that day he left, stringing Phil along whichever way he pleased. 

But wasn’t that always the case? Even when they were younger, Phil would always do whatever it was Clint wanted, whether it was a conscious decision or not. Well, not this time. Phil is not going to fold this time. He is his own man and if Clint wanted to talk to him, then he’s going to have to find Phil on his own. He’s not going to-

“Hello?” Phil answered his phone once the Caller ID shows him that it was an unknown number. Not many people know his personal number, so whoever is on the other side might be in a serious pinch.

“-zis Colson? Cowlson? Coulson.” The voice slurred. Phil stared at the screen once more before putting the phone against his ear again. “I’m lookin for Coulsan.”

Phil hung up. 

When Phil’s phone rang again, he sighed but answered it. 

“Sorry. M’phone died.” The voice apologized.

“Clint?”

“Yes.” Pause. “Wait, no. M’not Clint. M’Francis. Is’m Phil there? Cou’you tell’im Francis called? Francis. No’ Clint. He hates Clint.”

Phil audibly sighed, “Are you drunk?” There was only silence. “Did you just nod?” 

“Duh. But don’ tell Phil. Th’drunk thing. No’the noddin’ thing. I don’ thin’ he’s gonn likit if he fins out m’drunk.” 

“How did you get this number?” Phil asked. 

“I called ‘is mom.” 

“You called my mom?”

“No. Why th’hell would I call your’om? I called Phil’s mom. Don’ tell ‘im tha’ either. Y’know I go’ an earful fro'Mrs. Coulsan. Tol’ me I shou’ call Phil an’ fix this. So I obvisly need t’talk to Phil.”

Phil shook his head. He’s being strung along again. And he can feel himself going along with it. “Where are you? I’ll tell Phil to go there.” 

“What? No. Don’ do that. He ‘ates me, ‘member? Cou’you- Cou’you at leas’ tell ‘im I miss’im? Y’don’ even hafta say i’s from me. Jus’ le’im know th’I miss’im.“ Clint sniffed over the line. “Don’ tell ‘im M’cryin either. ‘coz m’not. K. Bye.”

Phil stared at his phone for a long moment before he placed it back in his pocket and grabbed his keys.

—

“Clint, are you up there?” Phil called out once he was underneath the tree. The same old tree in Mrs. Quentin’s backyard. The house has been long since abandoned, but it was never sold so the tree continued to grow over the years. 

Truthfully, Phil didn’t have to ask, he could see Clint’s chucks from where he was standing. There was some rustling and the chucks disappeared. “What are you doing here?” Clint asked, hiding from Phil, even though there were few places he could go where Phil couldn’t see him. 

“What do you think? I’m here to get you down.” 

“Huh.” Clint said.

“I know. Brings back memories, doesn’t it?” Clint doesn’t answer. “So you’re not slurring. I assume you sobered up?”

“I’m sorry.” was what Clint answered. Phil is pretty sure Clint isn’t apologizing about getting drunk and drunk dialing Phil.

Phil sighed and unbuttoned his jacket. They were going to do this now, huh. He sat underneath the tree just like that night before Clint disappeared. “What I don’t understand is why couldn’t you just have told me when you found out. I mean, we could have-”

“What, Phil? We could’ve gone back to the way things were?” Clint snorted. “I highly doubt that. You said it yourself: it isn’t possible for us to go back to the way things were, not completely.”

Phil doesn’t answer for a while. “I also said we could try. If we both wanted to.”

“Did you even want to? You seemed in a hurry to leave when you found out I was Clint.”

“Exactly what part of spending every spare minute of my life looking for you told you that I didn’t want to? Do you even have any idea how much I’ve been through looking for you? I left that night because I found out that you were lying to me this whole time. I was hurt, Clint. What did you think was going to happen?”

“I thought-” Clint breathed in. “I thought you’d forgive me.” 

“Like I said, there was nothing to forgive. You made your choice.” Phil sighed. “Look, I’m not- I’m not mad because you left. I’m mad because you severed all connections from us. Like it was just so easy for you. You know, Mrs. Quentin cried for a week. The archery team lost regionals. The cat on 5th kept meowing even after being given food. and I- I lost my best friend.”

“I’m sorry. I’m a jerk.” Clint said. “I’m the biggest jerk there is, and you shouldn’t even be talking to me.” 

Phil smiled despite himself. “You’re not a jerk.” They sounded like teenagers. 

“Thanks.”

“You’re a douche.” 

Clint snorted, “Okay, probably deserved that one.”

“And an ass.”

“That one, too.”

“And an idiot.”

“And that.”

“A half chewed pencil”

“I don’t understand that one, but okay.”

“I’d call you a cunt, but you don’t have the depth or the warmth.”

“Okay, that one hurts.” 

Phil started chuckling then, he heard rustling and soon found himself sitting next to Clint. “Could we?” Clint asked him, after a few minutes. “start over, I mean.”

Phil pondered it for a moment, “I guess we could do that.”

Clint smiled,a small upturn of his lips, somehow managing to look more sincere than any of his other smiles. “Thank you.”

They stayed under that tree until daybreak. They talked about how the years have treated them without the other by their side. 

Months later, whenever Phil went AWOL while not on mission, the tree was the first place people looked. The tree was also where you would likely find Clint. 2 years later, Clint will propose to Phil under that tree. Add another 5 years, Clint and Phil will have bought the old house and tell their children about the special tree in their backyard. They will grow old together, and when the time finally comes, they will be part of the soil that keeps the tree alive. 

But for now they talk about the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Here on tumblr](http://promptmephlint.tumblr.com/post/127946541781/i-was-pseudo-productive-today-d-im-almost-done)

**Author's Note:**

> There is another prompt that I'd like to fill in for this universe, but i'm posting it the day after tomorrow.   
> [Here on tumblr](http://promptmephlint.tumblr.com/post/124924470351/tomorrow-i-have-to-be-up-early-to-help-with-my)


End file.
